FIAT Complaints

OUR FIAT DIED THREE TIMES WITHIN A FOUR MONTH PERIOD, SPECIFICALLY ON 6/20/2014 (2,609 MILES), 8/11/2014 (3,101 MILES), AND 10/20/2014 (4,050 MILES). A "SERVICE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SYSTEM" WARNING LIGHT APPEARED EACH TIME IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE, STOP, OR STEER. OF THE THREE INCIDENTS, THE FINAL INCIDENT ON 10/20/2014 WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS: THE CAR DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WHILE CROSSING TRAIN TRACKS (LIGHT-RAIL) WHILE A TRAIN WAS APPROACHING. CHRYSLER-FIAT HAS SINCE REPURCHASED THE VEHICLE ON 5/2015 PER CALIFORNIA LAW.

3 DAYS AFTER DRIVING MY NEW FIAT 500E WHICH I AM LEASING , I BEGAN TO NOTICE EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE PHYSICAL SENSATIONS. THE ONLY THING I CAN COMPARE IT TO IS TAKING ON AN OLD CELLPHONE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. IT'S A SIMILAR KIND OF FEELING OF POWER AND RADIATION. I HAVE TAKEN AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE FOR RIDES IN THE CAR. 3 OF THEM REPORT SIMILAR SENSATIONS, WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED IN ANY WAY WHILE SOME ARE NOT AWARE OF THE THE RADIATION. EFFECTS/SYMPTOMS (PARTIAL LIST ) : HEAD ACHE, TINGLING ON FACE AND AROUND EARS ,PRESSURE FEELING IN EARS, PRESSURE FEELING IN CENTER OF CHEST, FOGGY FEELING IN HEAD, WHICH CONTINUES FOR 15 TO 60 MINUTES AFTER DRIVING. NOTES: I HAVE TESTED MYSELF SITTING IN THE CAR WITHOUT IT TURNED ON FOR 30 MINUTES. THERE ARE NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS WHATSOEVER. THE SYMPTOMS ARE WORSE WHEN: 1) THE AIR CONDITIONER IS TURNED ON 2) MORE ACCELERATION IS USED, USING MORE POWER. THESE ARE NOT DUE TO THE FEELING OF THE AIR, OR G FORCE FROM ACCELERATION. I HAVE MADE SURE TO RULE OUT BOTH OF THESE FACTORS. I HAVE STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR BECAUSE IT IS NOT SAFE FOR ME TO DRIVE. IT HAD BEEN TESTED AS "NORMAL" BY FIAT MECHANICS. THERE IS NOTHING AT ALL NORMAL ABOUT THIS AND SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500. WHILE AT A STOP, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE TIRES. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION BALL BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500E. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT CHARGE THE BATTERY USING A 240 POWER CORD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V179000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AGAIN. BOTH THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER CONFIRMED THAT THEY WERE MADE AWARE OF THE SITUATION; HOWEVER, THEY HAD YET TO DETERMINE A REMEDY FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,000.

WHILE UNDER MODERATE ACCELERATION THE VEHICLE STOPPED RESPONDING TO THROTTLE INPUT, SEEMINGLY STUCK IN GEAR AND COASTING. ATTEMPTS TO USE MANUAL SHIFT MODE TO PROMPT AN UP/DOWN SHIFT FAILED, AFTER A NUMBER OF SECONDS THE CAR STARTED RESPONDING AGAIN BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE FULL THROTTLE INPUT. THIS RESULTED IN A RAPID DOWNSHIFT IN GEARS AND NEARLY LOSING CONTROL OF THE CAR AS IT SURGED FORWARD. THIS ISSUE RE-OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES, DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE.

WITHIN SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE OF FIAT 500 WE ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM STARTING THE ENGINE. UPON TURNING THE IGNITION KEY THE ENGINE RESPONDED WITH AN ELECTRICAL MOTOR WHINE BUT DID NOT START. AFTER SEVERAL REPEATED ATTEMPTS THE ENGINE WOULD START AND FUNCTION NORMALLY. GAS MILEAGE HAS NEVER BEEN AS HIGH WAS REPRESENTED IN SALES INFORMATION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES FOR CORRECTION BUT THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. A COMPLAINT HAS BEEN LODGED WITH BOTH THE DEALER AND FIAT USA.

ENGINE LIGHT WHEN ON WITH 10 K MILES IN MY ENGINE ONLY 1/4 OIL LEFT, THE DEALER PERFORMECE THE OIL CHANGE 3 WEEKS LATTER ENGINE LIGHT ON AGAIN. ONLY 1/4 OIL INSIDE, THEY DID THE (COT) CONSUMCION OIL TEST EVERY 500 MILES FOR 4 TIMES. ANSWER FROM THE MANUFACTURE "EVERY 1 K MILES I HAVE TO ADD 1/4 OIL" NOW I HAVE TO CHECK IT EVERY 1 K... NOT INCLUDE IN THE GUARANTE. IF THE MANUEAL SAYS OIL CHANGE EVERY 8 K MILES HOW IS POSIBLE 1/4 EVERY 1 K MILES I THINK THEY JUST CLEAN THEIR HANDS...

ON THE DAY OF FEB. 24 2015 ME AND MY WIFE WERE IN THE DRIVE-THRU AT STAR-BUCK. WHILE WE WERE IN LINE TO GET COFFEE WE SMELL THIS BAD BURNING SMELL. I THOUGHT IT WAS FROM SOME WHERE IN THE AREA, I EVEN ASK THE STAR-BUCK CLERK WHATS THAT SMELL, HIS REPLY WAS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SMELLING IT. AS WE PULLED OFF FROM STAR-BUCKS I NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND MAKING ITS WAY INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. CALLED THE FIAT DEALERSHIP AS IT WAS HAPPENING, THEY SUGGEST ME TO BRING FIAT IN, SO I DID. FIAT VERIFIED THE PROBLEM AND STATED THIS.( VERIFIED CLUTCH BURNING TYPE SMELL UNDER HOOD. INSPECT AND FOUND NO LEAK AND NO CODES IN PCM OR TCM. DROVE AND FOUND ENGAGEMENT FROM STOP VERY SLIGHTLY DELAYED COMPARED TO NEWER VEHICLE. RELEARNED CLUTCH CONTACT POINTS. DROVE AGAIN AND FEELS BETTER. OK AT THIS TIME.) THEN ON MAY 6 2015 14005 MILES,MY FIAT 500L DID IT AGAIN. WE WERE AT POPEYES DRIVE-THRU WAITING IN LINE TO BUY CHICKEN AND IT HAPPEN AGAIN WITH THE BURNING SMELL AND WHITE SMOKE,BUT THIS TIME MY FIAT WOULDN'T MOVE WHILE WE WERE IN DRIVE. SO I SHIFTED OUT OF DRIVE TO REVERSE FROM REVERSE TO NEUTRAL AND CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. THEN I PUT IT IN PARK AND KILL THE CAR, REATRTED CAR AND IT DECIDED TO MOVE THEN. SO IT SCARED ME AGAIN WITH THE BREATHING OF THE BURNING SMELL, IN WHICH HURTS YOUR LUNGS AND BURNS YOUR EYES. SO I BROUGHT THE FIAT TO A DIFFERENT FIAT DEALERSHIP, WITH MY CONCERN. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR 1 DAY AND SAID. (TEST DRIVE VEHICLE AND IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. SHIFTS THROUGH GEARS PRO PERTLY, UP SHIFTS AND DOWN SHIFTS. UNABLE TO DUPLICATE CONCERN AT THIS TIME. CHECKED OVER VEHICLE ANS IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED.

TECH FOUND TRANSMISSION LEAKING AND SEALED WITH EPOXY. SECOND LEAK WAS UNAWARE A REPAIR HAD BEEN MADE UNTIL I RETURNED CAR TO DEALER FOR A LEAK FOUND MY OIL CAN HENRY'S

AT LOW SPEEDS 20 MPH AND BELOW YOU COULD HEAR A GRINDING NOISE THAT SOUNDED MUCH LIKE BAD BRAKES BEARINGS. SECOND TIME WE SUGGESTED THIS PROBLEM. FIRST TIME THE TECH SAID HE COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE NOISE. THIS TIME THEY FOUND BOTH OF THE REAR BEARING HAD BEEN COMPLETELY EATEN AWAY BY BRAKE DUST INSIDE THE BEARING ASSEMBLY.